Each term since 1999, the Center for Academic Excellence hosts at least one "Carnegie Conversation" event, open to all, on topics of Teaching and Learning. Originally created by the Carnegie Foundation, these conversations were intended to get more universities to talk about improving teaching, with the
aim of promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning, and to promote teaching excellence and effectiveness.

On November 12, we hosted a Carnegie Conversation event entitled: “In Honor of Good Teaching; A Decade of Student Perspectives on Outstanding Teaching in C.L.A.S." Our speaker was Geology Professor Scott Burns, who has coordinated the John Elliot Allen Awards for Outstanding Teaching at PSU every spring since the late 1990’s. In preparation for the annual awards, Scott meets with students from every department within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to collect their nominees and at the same time polls the students on what makes an outstanding teacher.

At the fall Carnegie event, Scott challenging attending faculty to identify the top qualities possessed by Outstanding Professors, as ranked by students. Some of the results were surprising, but the biggest surprise of the day was the certificate of appreciation and acknowledgment of excellent teaching presented to Scott by C.L.A.S. Dean Marvin Kaiser and Associate Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Leslie McBride. Quotes from his past and present students honoring Professor Burns were read aloud and many more, too numerous to read aloud, were displayed on repeating slide show during the traditional Carnegie reception of wine and cheese. Scott even provided the wine, Oregon reds and whites, along with a brief geological talk about the terrain of the Oregon vineyards.